This is the fourth time Nghe An has organized such a conference in President Ho Chi Minh’s native land, aiming to attract more investment from Vietnamese and foreign businesses.

At the three previous conferences, the province gained 31 domestic and foreign invested projects with a total registered capital of VND37,000 billion, most of which were carried out in 2008 and 2009 with positive and effective results.

Provincial leaders and representatives from the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) highlighted Nghe An’s potential, advantages and resources for investment and development, noting that its policy is to create favourable conditions and share interests. They also introduced investment reforms in priority areas for clean technology,high-tech and FDI projects.

Delegates proposed opinions on enhancing regional connectivity for investment to mobilize capital and develop markets in the north-central region and the whole country.

They said stronger measures are needed to speed up land clearance and simplify investment formalities to facilitate business operations.

Chairman of the Nghe An provincial People's Committee, Ho Duc Phuoc, said his province is making breakthroughs in administrative reforms to deal with weaknesses in calling for investment and creating the best possible conditions for investors to do business, in addition to revoking the permits of infeasible projects.

In his speech, NA Chairman Hung praised Nghe An’s efforts to fulfill all its 2011 socio- economic targets while calling on entrepreneurs in the province to renew their way of thinking to ensure effective investment by tapping all available resources and restructuring the provincial economy.

After the conference, Mr Hung witnessed the signing of investment projects to provide credit, capital and support social welfare between domestic and foreign businesses. These included a VND840 billion project of Thailand’s Royal Food Company, Ltd. to build a canned fish processing plant.

On the occasion, provincial leaders also granted investment licenses to three new investment projects with a total capitalization of more than VND825 billion.

Earlier in the morning on the same day, Chairman Hung, along with Nghe An leaders and representatives from the BIDV and the Party Committee for centrally-run businesses, offered incense at the Quang Trung Emperor’s temple and laid wreaths at the Ho Chi Minh Monument in Vinh City.